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Internet of Things for Smart City Application

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Internet of Things".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2023) | Viewed by 12956

Special Issue Editors

School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Interests: Internet of Things; sensing as a service; privacy; infrastructure and architectures; fog/edge computing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka
Interests: software engineering; deep learning; data engineering
LIRIS Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Claude Bernard University Lyon I, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
Interests: service oriented computing; Internet of Things; privacy and securit
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world population is growing at a rapid pace. Towns and cities are accommodating half of the world’s population, thereby creating tremendous pressure on every aspect of urban living. Cities are known to have large concentrations of resources and facilities. Such environments attract people from rural areas. However, unprecedented attraction has now become an overwhelming issue for city governance and politics. The enormous pressure on efficient city management has triggered various Smart City initiatives by both government and private sector businesses to invest in information and communications technologies to find sustainable solutions to the growing issues. The Internet of Things (IoT) has also gained significant attention over the past decade. The IoT concept envisions to connect billions of sensors to the Internet and expects to use them for efficient and effective resource management in Smart Cities. Today, infrastructure, platforms and software applications are offered as services using cloud technologies. In this Special Issue, we would like to explore the use of Internet of Things technologies for Smart City Applications. The contributions must utilize some form of sensor data. We especially encourage real-world deployment focus papers.

Dr. Charith Perera
Prof. Dr. Dulani Apeksha Apeksha Meedeniya
Dr. Mahmoud Barhamgi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sensing as a Service for Smart Cities
  • open data and big data analytics
  • AI-powered Smart City services
  • smart healthcare
  • data security and privacy
  • connected vehicle (CV) technologies
  • smart mobility and transportation
  • smart buildings
  • smart traffic system operations
  • environmental monitoring technologies

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 4979 KiB  
Article
Path Loss Characterization in an Outdoor Corridor Environment for IoT-5G in a Smart Campus University at 850 MHz and 3.5 GHz Frequency Bands
by Juan Muñoz, David Mancipe, Herman Fernández, Lorenzo Rubio, Vicent M. Rodrigo Peñarrocha and Juan Reig
Sensors 2023, 23(22), 9237; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23229237 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 905
Abstract
The usage scenarios defined in the ITU-M2150-1 recommendation for IMT-2020 systems, including enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communication (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), allow the possibility of accessing different services through the set of Radio Interface Technologies (RITs), Long-term Evolution [...] Read more.
The usage scenarios defined in the ITU-M2150-1 recommendation for IMT-2020 systems, including enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communication (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), allow the possibility of accessing different services through the set of Radio Interface Technologies (RITs), Long-term Evolution (LTE), and New Radio (NR), which are components of RIT. The potential of the low and medium frequency bands allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the fifth generation of mobile communications (5G) is described. In addition, in the Internet of Things (IoT) applications that will be covered by the case of use of the mMTC are framed. In this sense, a propagation channel measurement campaign was carried out at 850 MHz and 5.9 GHz in a covered corridor environment, located in an open space within the facilities of the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia campus. The measurements were carried out in the time domain using a channel sounder based on a Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) to obtain the received signal power levels over a range of separation distances between the transmitter and receiver from 2.00 m to 67.5 m. Then, a link budget was proposed to describe the path loss behavior as a function of these distances to obtain the parameters for the close-in free space reference distance (CI) and the floating intercept (FI) path loss prediction models. These parameters were estimated from the measurements made using the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) approach. The estimated path loss exponent (PLE) values for both the CI and FI path loss models at 850 MHz and 3.5 GHz are in the range of 2.21 to 2.41, respectively. This shows that the multipath effect causes a lack of constructive interference to the received power signal for this type of outdoor corridor scenario. These results can be used in simulation tools to evaluate the path loss behavior and optimize the deployment of device and sensor network infrastructure to enable 5G-IoT connectivity in smart university campus scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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16 pages, 4405 KiB  
Article
Testing and Evaluation of Low-Cost Sensors for Developing Open Smart Campus Systems Based on IoT
by Pascal Neis, Dominik Warch and Max Hoppe
Sensors 2023, 23(20), 8652; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23208652 - 23 Oct 2023
Viewed by 985
Abstract
Urbanization has led to the need for the intelligent management of various urban challenges, from traffic to energy. In this context, smart campuses and buildings emerge as microcosms of smart cities, offering both opportunities and challenges in technology and communication integration. This study [...] Read more.
Urbanization has led to the need for the intelligent management of various urban challenges, from traffic to energy. In this context, smart campuses and buildings emerge as microcosms of smart cities, offering both opportunities and challenges in technology and communication integration. This study sets itself apart by prioritizing sustainable, adaptable, and reusable solutions through an open-source framework and open data protocols. We utilized the Internet of Things (IoT) and cost-effective sensors to capture real-time data for three different use cases: real-time monitoring of visitor counts, room and parking occupancy, and the collection of environment and climate data. Our analysis revealed that the implementation of the utilized hardware and software combination significantly improved the implementation of open smart campus systems, providing a usable visitor information system for students. Moreover, our focus on data privacy and technological versatility offers valuable insights into real-world applicability and limitations. This study contributes a novel framework that not only drives technological advancements but is also readily adaptable, improvable, and reusable across diverse settings, thereby showcasing the untapped potential of smart, sustainable systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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16 pages, 9254 KiB  
Article
WeMo: A Prototype of a Wearable Mobility Device Adapting to User’s Natural Posture Changes
by Yang Chen, Takashi Kuwahara, Yuki Nishimura and Kenji Suzuki
Sensors 2023, 23(18), 7683; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23187683 - 06 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 728
Abstract
Mobility is fundamental for human beings. In the current society, many personal mobility solutions have been invented to enable more time-efficient mobility, such as self-balancing vehicles, electric unicycles, and electric scooters. Personal mobility devices can provide flexibility to transportation. However, most personal mobility [...] Read more.
Mobility is fundamental for human beings. In the current society, many personal mobility solutions have been invented to enable more time-efficient mobility, such as self-balancing vehicles, electric unicycles, and electric scooters. Personal mobility devices can provide flexibility to transportation. However, most personal mobility devices need to be carried by their users in the case that they climb stairs and steps. Therefore, many researchers have focused on developing stair-climbing vehicles, but due to the complicated mechanism, these devices are usually huge and heavy. To realize a new type of personal mobility device with more flexibility, we proposed a novel concept of a personal mobility device design that combines the agile mobility of a wheel type mechanism but does not limit a human’s natural stair climbing ability. In this study, we introduced a compact personal mobility device, namely WeMo, under the concept of “wearing mobility”, which extends humans’ mobility in daily life. The developed hardware realizes “walking mode” and “driving mode”. Users can move with the motorized driven wheels of the device during driving mode, and users can walk on their feet without any interference from the device during walking mode. In this manuscript, the detailed design of the hardware and control strategy were explained first.Then, we conducted fundamental user tests and discussed the ability of the developed device from test results. Finally, the conclusions and future work were provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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16 pages, 3179 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Detection of Intruders Using an Acoustic Sensor and Internet-of-Things Computing
by Najeeb Al-Khalli, Saud Alateeq, Mohammed Almansour, Yousef Alhassoun, Ahmed B. Ibrahim and Saleh A. Alshebeili
Sensors 2023, 23(13), 5792; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23135792 - 21 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1487
Abstract
Modern home automation systems include features that enhance security, such as cameras and radars. This paper proposes an innovative home security system that can detect burglars by analyzing acoustic signals and instantly notifying the authorized person(s). The system architecture incorporates the concept of [...] Read more.
Modern home automation systems include features that enhance security, such as cameras and radars. This paper proposes an innovative home security system that can detect burglars by analyzing acoustic signals and instantly notifying the authorized person(s). The system architecture incorporates the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), resulting in a network and a user-friendly system. The proposed system uses an adaptive detection algorithm, namely the “short-time-average through long-time-average” algorithm. The proposed algorithm is implemented by an IoT device (Arduino Duo) to detect people’s acoustical activities for the purpose of home/office security. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using 10 acoustic signals representing actual events and background noise. The acoustic signals were generated by the sounds of keys shaking, the falling of a small object, the shrinking of a plastic bag, speaking, footsteps, etc. The effects of different algorithms’ parameters on the performance of the proposed system have been thoroughly investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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25 pages, 2031 KiB  
Article
A Sustainable Approach to Delivering Programmable Peer-to-Peer Offline Payments
by Luca Mainetti, Matteo Aprile, Emanuele Mele and Roberto Vergallo
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031336 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1838
Abstract
Payment apps and digital wallets are powerful tools used to exchange e-money via the internet. However, with the progressive disappearance of cash, there is a need for the digital equivalent of physical banknotes to guarantee the same level of anonymity of private payments. [...] Read more.
Payment apps and digital wallets are powerful tools used to exchange e-money via the internet. However, with the progressive disappearance of cash, there is a need for the digital equivalent of physical banknotes to guarantee the same level of anonymity of private payments. Few efforts to solve the double-spending problem exist in P2P payments (i.e., in avoiding the possibility of a payer retaining copies of digital coins in absence of a trusted third party (TTP)), and further research efforts are needed to explore options to preserve the privacy of payments, as per the mandates of numerous central bank digital currency (CBDC) exploratory initiatives, such as the digital euro. Moreover, generic programmability requirements and energetic impacts should be considered. In this paper, we present a sustainable offline P2P payment scheme to face the double-spending problem by means of a one-time program (OTP) approach. The approach consists of wiping the business logic out of a client’s app and allowing financial intermediaries to inject a certified payment code into the user’s device, which will execute (asynchronously and offline) at the time of payment. To do so, we wrap each coin in a program at the time of withdrawal. Then the program exploits the trusted execution environment (TEE) of modern smartphones to transfer itself from the payer to the payee via a direct IoT link. To confirm the validity of the approach, we performed qualitative and quantitative evaluations, specifically focusing on the energetic sustainability of the proposed scheme. Results show that our payment scheme is energetically sustainable as the current absorbed for sending one coin is, at most, ~1.8 mAh on an Apple smartphone. We advance the state-of-the-art because the scheme meets the programmability, anonymity, and sustainability requirements (at the same time). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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20 pages, 15278 KiB  
Article
Design and Implementation of a Video-Frame Localization System for a Drifting Camera-Based Sewer Inspection System
by Yusuke Chikamoto, Yuki Tsutsumi, Hiroaki Sawano and Susumu Ishihara
Sensors 2023, 23(2), 793; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020793 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1734
Abstract
To reduce the cost of inspecting old sewer pipes, we have been developing a low-cost sewer inspection system that uses drifting wireless cameras to record videos of the interior of a sewer pipe while drifting. The video’s data are transmitted to access points [...] Read more.
To reduce the cost of inspecting old sewer pipes, we have been developing a low-cost sewer inspection system that uses drifting wireless cameras to record videos of the interior of a sewer pipe while drifting. The video’s data are transmitted to access points placed in utility holes and further transmitted to a video server where each video frame is linked to its capturing position so that users can identify the damaged areas. However, in small-diameter sewer pipes, locating drifting nodes over the full extent of the pipeline using Wi-Fi-based localization is difficult due to the limited reach of radio waves. In addition, there is the unavailability of a GNSS signal. We propose a function to link each video frame to a position based on linear interpolation using landmarks detected by the camera and image processing. Experiments for testing the accuracy of the localization in an underground sewer pipe showed that all utility holes were successfully detected as landmarks, and the maximum location estimation accuracy was less than 11.5% of the maximum interval of landmarks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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15 pages, 4171 KiB  
Article
Waste Management with the Use of Heuristic Algorithms and Internet of Things Technology
by Anna Burduk, Dagmara Łapczyńska, Joanna Kochańska, Kamil Musiał, Dorota Więcek and Ivan Kuric
Sensors 2022, 22(22), 8786; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22228786 - 14 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
Studies have been performed to improve the process of waste management. They were fulfilled by changing the base of waste logistics management using a combination of intelligent algorithms and the IMPACT IoT platform instead of a human factor. The research was carried out [...] Read more.
Studies have been performed to improve the process of waste management. They were fulfilled by changing the base of waste logistics management using a combination of intelligent algorithms and the IMPACT IoT platform instead of a human factor. The research was carried out on the example of real data with respect to waste management in a given area. The proposed solution includes a program that simulates the filling of specific waste containers located in various areas. The determined aspects are inconveniences on the routes, affecting the time of moving between the receiving points and the distances between the containers. The variability of the speed and intensity of the containers filling up over time is an additional factor taken into account. The proposed methods yielded the performance of the control of the containers’ filling status in real time, which apparently results in the possibility of a reaction to the current demand just in time. The proposed solution enables the improvement of the waste logistics management process, including avoiding the too-frequent emptying of containers or overfilling them. The combination of the device prototype, the simulation program, and the developed algorithms opens the possibility for further research in the smart city and optimization areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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23 pages, 2946 KiB  
Article
IoTMapper: A Metrics Aggregation System Architecture in Support of Smart City Solutions
by João Pedro Vitorino and Nuno Cruz
Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7484; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197484 - 02 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1062
Abstract
Smart cities are, nowadays, an unavoidable and growing reality, supported on software platforms that support city management, through the processing and presentation of a large number of data, obtained from sensors used throughout the cities. Low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) leverage the sensorization [...] Read more.
Smart cities are, nowadays, an unavoidable and growing reality, supported on software platforms that support city management, through the processing and presentation of a large number of data, obtained from sensors used throughout the cities. Low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) leverage the sensorization process; however, urban landscape, in turn, induces a high probability of change in the propagation conditions of the LPWAN network, thus requiring active monitoring solutions for assessing the city LPWAN network condition. Currently existing solutions usually consider the existence of only one type of LPWAN network to be monitored. In this paper, an architecture for aggregation of metrics from heterogeneous LPWAN networks is presented. The architecture, named IoTMapper, combines purpose build components with existing components from the FIWARE and Apache Kafka ecosystems. Implementation details for the LPWAN networks are abstracted by adapters so that new networks may be easily added. The validation was carried out using real data collected for long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) in Lisbon, and a simulated data set extrapolated from the collected data. The results indicate that the presented architecture is a viable solution for metrics aggregation that may be expanded to support multiple networks. However, some of the considered FIWARE components present performance bottlenecks that may hinder the scaling of the architecture while processing new message arrivals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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Review

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20 pages, 1329 KiB  
Review
A Systematic Literature Review of LoRaWAN: Sensors and Applications
by Vicky Bonilla, Brandon Campoverde and Sang Guun Yoo
Sensors 2023, 23(20), 8440; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23208440 - 13 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1953
Abstract
LoRaWAN is a communication protocol designed especially for Internet of Things (IoT) applications that offers benefits such as long-distance connection and low power consumption. Due to the characteristics of LoRaWAN, this technology has gained great popularity in various IoT applications, such as environmental [...] Read more.
LoRaWAN is a communication protocol designed especially for Internet of Things (IoT) applications that offers benefits such as long-distance connection and low power consumption. Due to the characteristics of LoRaWAN, this technology has gained great popularity in various IoT applications, such as environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, and applications in the areas of health and mobility, among others. Given this situation, the objective of this work is to provide an in-depth overview of LoRaWAN technology in terms of its applications, as well as the devices that have been used for the development of such applications. Additionally, this work reviews what other areas of LoRaWAN have been covered in different scientific articles, i.e., performance improvement and security. Among the main results of this study though analyzing previous works, we can say that most of them have been developed in the area of environmental monitoring and have used low-cost devices such as Arduinos, Raspberry Pis, and relatively low-cost commercial products such as those of the Semtech and STMicroelectronics brands. The analysis of the present work shows objectively and formally that LoRaWAN technology can be applied in various applications and that there are many studies that try to optimize its performance and security. This paper seeks to identify and describe the most relevant applications of LoRaWAN in different sectors, such as agriculture, health, and environmental monitoring, among others, and the challenges and solutions found in each area. This literature review will provide a valuable reference to understand the potential and opportunities offered by LoRaWAN technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart City Application)
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